Telegraph-key.



stares rafrnnfr onirica..

JAMlJS Z. TUCKER AND LAWRENCE V. TUCKER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSUHI.

TELE GRAPH-KEY.

Specification of Letters Patent. i Application filed December 16, 1907.Serial No. 406,742.

Patented oct. c, 190s.

To all whom it may concern:

Bc it known that we, JAMEs Z. TUCKER and LAWRENCE V. TUCKER, citizens ofthe4 United States, residing at St. Louis, in the county ci St. LouisCity and State oi Mis souri, have invented certain new and usefullniproi-einents in .lelegraph-leys; and we do declare the lollowinvr tobe a full, clear, and exact' description ci the invention, such as willenrble others skilled in the art to .p

' on account ofioperators leaving their keys soI open by mistake. Theseerrors sometimes cause serious accidents and frequently cause much delayto trains and messages. -As is well known, almost all telegraphsystemsare rung with their instruments in series, and when one key is open, theinstruments beyond on the line are all'cut out.

lt .is the object of our invention to providev a key of this characterwhich will automatically close and prevent delays and accidentsresulting therefrom.

ii/lith this object in View, the invention consists oi certain novelfeatures of construction, con'rbination and arrangement of parts as willbe described hereinafter' and particular-ly pointed out in the appendedclaims.

in the accon'ipanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of akey'showing in dotted lines the position when in use and infull linesthe position when closed; Fig. 2 is a side elevation; and Fig. 3 is alongitudinal sectional view thereof. on line X-X of Fig. 1..

Referring more especially to the drawings, l represents a suitable framewhich has projecting from its sides a air of ears, 2, having threadedapertures, 3, t rough which the adjusting screws, 4, are ladapted topass. The adjusting screw isrovided with a lock nut, as is common in asuch constructions, and the ends of the adjusting screws are hollowedout to receive the pintles or stub shafts, 5, of the lever, 6. Thislever is vpreferably of a type used in ordinary keys and has at one endan adjusting screw, 7, and at the other end a platinum -point contact,8, which is Fig.. 4; is a transverse section adapted to engage a similarcontact, 9, carried by a metall-ic stud, 10, Whichis passed through aninsulating bushing, 11, mounted in the frame andthrough a Contact plate,12, which has a binding post, 13, thereon'lorined in the oppositeterminal of the circuit. A suitable s irai spring, 15, is carried by theframe an enga es an adjusting screw, 16, threaded in the ever 6,'forward its pivotal oint.

Pivoted on the upper side of the lever 6 is a lever, 17, having at .oneend a 'linger piece, 18, which normali lies adjacent the button, 1.9,carried by the lever, (i, and at its opposite ond is provided with ado'wnwardly projectm ing arm, 20, which engages the forward hooked endof a terminal member, 21, which is normally thrown into contact with thenotched end of the member, l2, by a spiral s ring, 22, carried on theunderneath. side ol" tlie frame and4 having an eye-bolt connection withsaid' terminal member. lever is closed, the circuit is from the bindinpost, 13, through the member, 12, termina member 21, lever 6. on theframe 1, and out to line.`

In operation, theoperator grasps the button 19, and presses the fingerpiece, 18, away therefrom by the middle linger. This opera tion carriesthe terminal member, 21, away from the notched end and thus breaks thecircuit and to complete the circuit it is necessary to Work the leverand contact the platinunr onts before described. As soon as the midd eringer is released from the linger piece, or the operators hand removedfrom the but ton, the terminal member, 2l, is iorced back intoengagement with its contact, and the circuit. again completed onto thenext station. The end of the member, 21, is hooked so as to prevent thedepending arm from slipping oli of it and Athereby displacing the parts.

erating lever, a ringer piece carried by said lever at one end adaptedto be engaged by a lil/'hen the depending arm from the other end of thewitnesses. levr adapted to slidably engage said termi.- JAMES Z. TUCKER.nal member t0 throw the same out 01 engage- LAWRENCE V. TUCKER 5 mentwith the Contact efce, :md means for VVnesses:

adj usting the operating Rver. HENRY R. PICKER, In testimony whereof Wehave hereunto r GEORGE FELTROP.

finger of the operator to operate the same, a, set our hands in presenceof two subscribing

